WARD FARM PINOT NOIR 2014

This wine comes from a single vineyard in Ward that is owned and managed by Pam and Polly Francis. Being at the southern end of the Marlborough appellation, and close to the sea, the vineyard benefits from the cool southerly that comes up the coast. These cooler conditions assist with flavour intensity and mean that the vines must be cropped low to ensure they get fully ripe.

This wine is made from three clones. Predominantly Dijon clones 115 and 777. Both these clones are from the relatively new ‘Dijon’ series and provide great depth to the palate, with rich black fruit characters, while retaining a fine structure. There is also a little of the Swiss clone 10/5 planted which often displays lovely dried herb notes and adds a layer of complexity to the blend.

In the winery the grapes were destemmed before going to small vats for cold soaking prior to fermentation, as this allows the abstraction of soft tannins and colour at the juice stage rather than in the harsher alcoholic stage during and after fermentation. The grapes were fermented solely with indigenous yeasts.

During fermentation the skins and juice were hand-plunged on average three times per day. When finished the wine was taken straight to French barriques where it sat for 15 months. Once taken from wood the wine was lightly fined with organic egg whites then bottled unfiltered.